Bending Into The Scallop

[Hank]

Hello to all. First post here. I've been lurking (that sounds a bit creepy) for awhile and just using the search for all of my questions, most of which have already been answered.

I am considering getting my first scalloped neck. I have searched for topics on bending with a scalloped neck, but all seemed to suggest bending up or down. I am interested in bending into the scallop (where the wood has been removed) as a part of my future technique. I want to be able to bend notes inside of chords as well as combine bending the top note with chordal melodies. I'm a blues nut when it comes to bending, and as of late I'm exploring chordal melodies (now, you can see where there is a bit of conflict of interest here).

Can anyone out there tell me how many semitones I can expect to get by bending into the scallop? I don't mind making the scallops a bit deeper than usual as I plan on a thicker one piece maple neck.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Hank

[Lord-of-the-strings]

well that all depends on how deep your scallop goes, but I dunno, maybe 1/2 step to maybe 1 step if you have it really deep. It all depends on you and how far you want those scallops to go. You know... if you really wanted them JUST to bend chords, you could always just get a floating tremolo...

[Hank]

You know... if you really wanted them JUST to bend chords, you could always just get a floating tremolo...

I should have been a bit more clear. I meant that I wanted just one string inside/on top of a chord to bend and the others to stay put. I'm aware that a Hipshot device would simulate this but I'd prefer to get it from my fingers.

[psw]

This generally isn't why people scollop their frets. You would have to have very deep scollops though (mind the truss rod) and technically the effect would be very difficult to control inside chords. If you think about the leverage they have in a b-bender to get that effect you'll see. When you apply the pressure with one finger there is a tendancy for all the fingers in a "grip" to tighten, forcing the whole thing out of tune. Many people find that they are unable to control this anyway with shallow scollops...they are not for everybody.

You definitely couldn't do this with a tremolo too. The increased tension on one string will drop the others...hmmm.

I really like the idea of being able to change pitches with bends from within chords, but I'm not sure if this is the way to do it...

I had a design I was working on which used the space in a strat's trem to make individual levers for each string. The idea was preset pitch changeing for each string, either within a chord temporarily, or to change the whole tuning of the guitar, one string at a time. Neat thing and is possible (with a lot more work)...there was a small pushbutton behind each string and looked like a strat bridge from above... Anybody want to pay me to develop these things, let me know!

The ultimate scollop by the way is probably the gittler guitar...no neck, just frets on a rod with the strings suspended above them...

Or perhaps just go fretless...

good luck there... pete

[j. pierce]

It seems like bending into the scallop wouldn't be much easier than a normal bend? Or am I missing something, having not played a scalloped board? I know I can bend the "outside" notes of a chord without affecting the other ones terribly much, (but still more than I would prefer if I was really going for something the way this fellow seems) but not with a great deal of accuracy (although when playing live, all concept of accuracy goes out the window for me) and not with all chord shapes. I certainly can't bend them too awful far without affecting the other strings in certain positions. Looking for those sounds, I always find it easier to just work with two guitarists in the composition.

My favorite way of doing this is using funky alternate tunings and capo, and then finding ways to construct the tunings using open strings. You can get interesting results where one chord bends into another, yet some strings stay constant. (Given a non-trem guitar, of course, although with my new bigsby it doesnt' seem much of a problem.)

[GregP]

For TOM-equipped guitars, there's this:

http://www.musicyo.com/product_specs.asp?pf_id=772

I have one, but haven't actually field tested it yet. As it turns out, the allen screws for mounting weren't long enough for my stop tailpiece, so I had to manufacture an extra spacer out of a bass string ball-end. Solved the problem, and now it's waiting for completion of my project.

I think you'll find that the scalloping to bend within a chord is going to take a LOT of work, especially if you plan to do this in the lower half of the fretboard (ie. frets 1-12). As the space between frets gets wider, you will have to be more conscious of pressing "into" the scallop near the fret to maximize the 'bend'. It'll be tricky to develop a consistent technique.

However, nothing comes from nothing. I say give it a shot, and I'm looking forward to hearing if you get any good results from it! There's lots of room for "outside the box" techniques, like bending strings behind a slide for pedal-steel effects in bottleneck playing.

Greg

[unclej]

i had forgotten about this thread until just now..one of my instructors ordered a scalloped replacement neck for his strat a few months ago and i just asked him to see how how the "bend" would go if he pressed the string to the bottom of the fret and it was exactly 1/2 step. again, you could scallop it deeper i suppose but not much and probably not enough to get a full step without being in danger of going into your trull rod pocket.

[psw]

I want to be able to bend notes inside of chords as well as combine bending the top note with chordal melodies. I'm a blues nut when it comes to bending, and as of late I'm exploring chordal melodies (now, you can see where there is a bit of conflict of interest here)

[Saber]

I played a scalloped fretboard for a year. I had a .009 set of strings and had to press pretty hard on a string to bend a note, enough that it was a completely impractical way to play. And it gets worse as you move up the fretboard because the smaller space between frets requires much more pressure.

You know how good guitar teachers teach you not to squeeze your guitar neck to avoid hand injuries. Well, this looks like a great way to develop tendonitis. I'm not trying to discourage you from trying it but I want to tell you to be very cautious. The purpose of a scalloped fretboard is usually to get a better grip on the strings to bend them sideways.